They are all in a circle of literati, and they all have some face to save. Qian Mingyi has already done so, but the court still hasn't issued a direct decree demoting him, instead waiting for him to request to leave on his own.

  It's always like this, and everyone has had such experiences, so no one says anything anymore. Even the memorials that continue to be held up don't exist.

  The next day's court session, Zhao Xie heard the imperial edict ordering Zhao Gai and Bao Zheng to conduct a thorough investigation into this case...

  These two are not Ti Xing Si... Ti Xing Si can't even handle this kind of case. These two are Yu Shi Zhong Cheng, which should be self-evident. This is equivalent to the intervention of the discipline supervisor in later generations, and Qian Ming Yi should also know what to do.

  Qian Mingyi was very concise and directly submitted his memorial requesting to go out after the imperial edict announcing the re-examination of the case was proclaimed in the imperial court.

  He made no excuses, and frankly admitted that he was mediocre and not capable of managing the capital, letting the court handle it, and hoping to be sent to a remote area as far away from the imperial court as possible.

  The memorial to the throne was certainly not written in such a plain style, with four or six characters per line, and the rhythm is quite pleasant to read. The numerous words flowed freely... It's clear that it was meant for the imperial court to appreciate his literary talent.

  Nothing could be read from the words that he had any resentment, but Zhao Xi still felt that there should be a story behind it.

  What kind of story is this?

  Ruozhou is not far away, and the cold and clear self-proclaimed prince who was captured will be brought back soon.

  Then Zhao Xi also knew, the whole court all knew, this was no longer his first time coming to Kaifeng claiming to be Your Highness.

  It happened a few years ago, but nobody noticed it, and I couldn't make a living, so I went back to my hometown.

  This time... it's really big.

  "Your Honor, in the early years of the inner court's chaos, did you ever expel a palace maid?"

  This thing exists, even Zhao Xi remembers it. He also remembers that at the beginning, it was Zhang Shi who begged for mercy in front of Niang Niang and obtained a special pardon from Lao Die.

  What does it have to do with her? Zhao Xi seemed to recall that Zhang Shi had said that the old man had not favored that palace maid, but during the trial, she exposed her affair with the guard. So, following the principle of leniency, the old man lifted his hand and let her off.

  Zhao Zhen was stunned for a moment, as if recalling something.

  "It's true."

  "Your Excellency, this matter is clear-cut. I'm just helping to find a relative, but the one who should be called 'Your Highness' is actually a 17- or 18-year-old child..."

  Another one? Zhao Xi looked at his old father, and his father was also stunned. The husbands were all stunned.

  Zhao Xi thought, was it time for him to go to the outhouse again?

  "Search thoroughly!"

  For the first time, I saw Father being so decisive, for the first time, he made a decision without any hesitation.

  Maybe really angry.

  The masters have left, it's not suitable for them, so they kept Zhao Xi and his father...

  Zhao Xi didn't know how to comfort him, because at this time Father must be very unhappy... or maybe not necessarily, after all, having one son and having two sons are completely different for Father.

  So there were some things Zhao Xi couldn't say out loud.

  "Xi'er, you return to the palace."

  At this moment, as soon as Lao Die said these words, Zhao Xi suddenly felt a chill.

  Does an emperor have to be like this?

  Maybe Dad is just annoyed, maybe he doesn't want to face his own son in such a state, or maybe Dad really has other ideas.

  At this moment, Zhao Xi's mind was racing with all sorts of possibilities.

  My own strength is still not enough... How did I think of this? The sudden thought made Zhao Xi jump in fright.

  Why would he feel that his own power was not strong enough? Could it be... At that moment, Zhao Xi stopped himself, this kind of thought must not be allowed to grow, not even a fleeting existence was permissible.

  "Xier, why are you in such a mood today?"

  Although she had made a great effort to calm down, the empress, who was most familiar with Zhao Xi, still saw the difference in him from usual.

  "Mother, son and father are all in the same boat. All because of the bandit's deceitful actions that have caused trouble."

  This is the best interpretation, no need for the empress to speak on her behalf, just silently remind herself that she should be like this.

  In the past few years, I was still young. These two years seem to have slowly merged with my original self, and my dependence on Dad and Mom seems to have decreased in my heart. Some thoughts... alas, shouldn't be.

  "What's going on? The imperial court has ordered Bao Zheng and Zhao Zhen to conduct a thorough investigation. Could there be another unexpected turn of events?"

  "Your Ladyship, today Judge Bao reports on the progress of the case. The person who caused the disturbance is not the mastermind, but rather someone searching for a relative on their behalf. The real mastermind is a 17 or 18 year old child, who was a palace maid driven out by your sister-in-law in her younger years."

  After being enchanted by Niangniang's divine martial arts, Zhao Xi bid farewell and returned to the East Palace in a seemingly dispirited state.

  Originally, the inner courtyard was a sieve. In nearly ten years, Zhao Xi spent a lot of money to basically block the mouth of the inner courtyard. However, in the imperial court, it is still a sieve. Zhao Xi had just returned to the East Palace and seemed dejected, staring blankly...

  Li Xian didn't expect Wang Zhongzheng to be on duty today, and he could only stare blankly at the emperor.

  "Your Highness..."

  Wang Zhongzheng is back, but Zhao Xi didn't notice.

  To say that he was disappointed, everyone in the world would believe it, and Zhao Xi himself wouldn't disbelieve it either. He just felt that he should be in this mood, or maybe there could be some unexpected gains.

  For example, Wang Zhongzheng is back.

  "Your Highness, Lv and Du have discussed this matter, we can send a small team to the bandit's hometown to take care of things. And let Cao's nephews lead the way."

  What it means to get things done is that Zhao Xie decides whether to kill or bury with just one sentence. Good, the loyalty of the guards has been fulfilled.

  "Your Highness, the Empress has summoned you to proceed to Ciming Palace for a meal."

  Zhao Xi hadn't even organized the handover of the Guardian Squad's participation in this matter when an imperial eunuch came over to deliver a message.

  Zhao Xi was still the same, as if his melancholy and desolation had deepened. It pained Empress Cao to see him like this...

  "Xier, your aunt's family has sent a message, you don't have to worry about that matter, it will be settled naturally."

  Zhao Xi understood this and also knew that he had won the bet.

  But looked at the empress with a grateful expression.

  Everything is in silence.

  "Xier, your father has already sent someone to tell the empress about the reason for questioning Zhangshi, and also asked me to inform you."

  This should be true. Zhao Xi understood his old man. The feeling of that moment, he also figured it out later.

  At that time, Father should have been a direct expression of being anxious and confused, rather than really having other thoughts.

  Old dad has always been like this, maybe it was someone else's reminder, or maybe he thought of it himself, and even specially sent someone to tell the mother about tonight's destination...

  One's own surroundings should be solid.

  "Zhong Zheng, inform the guards that they can send someone over, but under no circumstances should they have contact with the imperial envoy, nor reveal their identity."

  "The mission objective is to clarify the facts, and under no circumstances should it lead to loss of human life or complicate the situation. All witnesses and evidence related to this matter during the investigation will be handed over to the officials dispatched by the imperial court without leaving any traces."

  Lao Die had no son, except for this unexpected one, which was all Zhao Xi knew. Unless his own arrival had triggered a series of changes... because the expulsion of the palace maid happened after his arrival.

  This is also one of the reasons why Zhao Xi really felt a bit insecure.